Interesting. Nothing in there though about what proportion of those mortgages are for primary residences. What’s the likelihood of over-55s also having ‘investment’ properties?
New data from credit score provider CreditSimple.co.nz shows New Zealanders over 55 are an increasingly large percentage of bankruptcies.
They now represent 27.8 per cent of all bankruptcies, up from 20.6 per cent in 2010.
CreditSimple spokeswoman Hazel Phillips said her organisation’s staff had reported from their conversations with older people that many said they were struggling to make ends meet.
Sure is. Perhaps now the olders will start to take real notice of what is happening in NZ to the youngers, because if they don’t the powers that be will come for them and they will feel the same abandonment as the discarded precariat of the young.
A lot of people caught up in the ‘leaky building’ had to remortgage, many lost money in the financial scandals and most banks now are offering 30 year mortgages, so people will have to pay well into retirement a mortgage, in many cases. Not only that, as employee’s head into their 50’s they are made redundant – there is seems zero government controls in place for any sort of stability – most people’s lives now are dependant on market forces and can be bankrupted by unsafe cladding, financial mismanagement, losing their job for no reason and having to be in debt for longer in our low wage economy making it difficult to pay off debt quickly.
Incompetent people in Government and Councils changing the Building Codes and abandoning the Apprenticeship Schemes and guess who the neoliberal National Government ?
This is the way I see it too. I wouldn’t mind so much if the people with far more money than they need were not so obvious. I don’t envy them, just feel like they are a different sort of human being, like I have to behave differently around them. I feel uneasy in a way I never did growing up here. People seem separated in some way. Hard to put a finger on it. When I was younger in NZ I always felt we were in it together. Not so much these days. It’s a lonely country. Lonely and anxious.
All very well to use averages
” 55 and over with a home loan have an average mortgage of $393,229.”
But what is the median. There are plenty of rich older people in Auckland too For those working , the last 10 years are normally the peak income years.
In general terms they will be more people retiring with a mortgage than there used to be- when the goal was to reach early 60s mortgage free.
The median or average is largely irrelevant in this instance as it’s the growing amount struggling under the pressure and going bankrupt that is the concern.
Auckland has 240 residents worth at least $30 million each. So not a large percentage of the population is of high wealth.
child poverty is the result of parent poverty. It’s just that those crunchy do nothing dudes and dudettes that hope that the market will fix it might – might care about children. But then, as the last few years showed there are few in NZ that give a dime about poverty in general.
More interesting to me would by why do these people own on their mortgage? I know quite a few people that have increased their mortgage to buy stuff that has got nothing to do with the house/mortgage itself, some of them in the over 55 range – as a friend of mine put it while buying a third motor bike ‘ i won’t be getting any more loans as i am getting too old’. Mind this friend is also in a position to keep on working until he drops dead.
“More interesting to me would by why do these people own on their mortgage?”
As pointed out by savenz. A number have fallen victim to finance company collapses, had to refinance to repair their poorly built home, or have been made redundant. Some have gone through expensive separations, others have fallen victim to bad health or bad luck. And some would have been as a result of poor fiscal management.
A number have businesses secured against property, which may have not performed too well.
I also know some that have bought several houses in Akl over the last few years – as i was told they want to have a ‘livestyle’ when they are eighty – and these houses will bring them easily to about 2.5 million in mortgage debt. Will they have been able to pay these of by the time they retire? Nope, not a chance in hell. However they can sell one – hopefully make enough cash on that to pay a mortgage or two.
so we really need a break down to see what the numbers are.
And i consider anyone who has mortgage debt due to ‘frivoulous’ spending – like my mate with the bikes – or needing several million dollar properties to fund their future lifestyle in that category.
then you have those that might have gone back into debt due to illness.
then you have those that might sold a property due to divorce and then bought again a property on their own.
all these are quite different reasons for being in debt by the age of 55 and over.
One reason i have not re-started my business is that the bank wants to use my property as a security. The whole loan is literally predatory. So here we go, i don’t work, staff that i would have employed is not working, and i don’t have debt. But the banks are not helpful.
But essentially we are all guessing as to why people are in debt and by how much and so on.
Part of the damage from our economy’s fixation with property has been the narrowness of our financial sector’s ability to manage risk – so the best they can offer is to tie a small business’s potential liability to something they can grasp – a house. Stifles NZ hugely.
It’s been an interesting week for our campaign. I have had dozens of library and ex-library staff communicating privately and confidentially with me. About a week ago I was sent screen shots of a dozen internal emails from library managers seeking relief cover for a total of 71 shifts of 6 or more hours in July. We were also aware that management’s self-imposed deadline of having all staff in new roles by July 1 wasn’t going to be met, that departing employees had been asked to stay on longer, and, unbelievably, some branches were so understaffed Madison Recruitment was supplying temps.
Apparently the libraries’ computer system is so complicated that temps will struggle to perform even tasks we’d think are straightforward, like shelving.
Love Our Libraries raised the alarm on Monday by emailing every Local Board in Auckland.
By the end of the day, management responded to attempt to refute our claims.
We wrote to the boards again the next day and provided more information.
We did get management to admit temps were being used: just 20 over July-August (less than 2% of the workforce–not quite if there are ca. 700 staff left).
The possibility of “rolling closures” hit the media thanks to a piece by James Pasley on stuff.co.nz which has also run in different local suburban newsletters.
I’m told library managers have cautioned staff ( not for the first time) not to speak to the public, media, or members of Love Our Libraries, especially about staff shortages.
The emails seeking relief staff have been removed and temps will be used.
Meanwhile I was sent a cautionary letter by Dean Kimpton, Auckland COO. He was objecting to what he termed “personal attacks” I’ve made in the Libraries General Manager. While I admit on a few occasions I’ve indulged in a catty crack, it is very hard not to absorb and reflect the utter disdain her underlings have for her and I will continue to raise doubts about her professionalism and ability to carry out the Fit for the Future reforms. It’s ironic for Kimpton to ask for respect for her when our city’s librarians have had to cope with a year of uncertainty, secrecy, and paranoia. How is forcing so many workers to reapply for jobs they’ve done competently for years, so you can save a few bucks by compressing and rotating their schedules, not a form of disrespect?
Our Facebook group is public. Please visit and join. We will continue to document and call attention to the travesty that is Fit for the Future. http://www.facebook.com/groups/loveourlibraries
This morning on Kim Hill interesting on present and future speaker. Audio later.
8:09 Johan Rockström – Planetary boundaries
The Hillary Institute recently announced Sweden’s Johan Rockström as the global Hillary Laureate for 2017. The Institute, inspired by Sir Edmund Hillary, aims to support leaders working in the areas of climate change, poverty, disease, peace, and justice. Johan Rockström is the director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and a professor of environmental science at Stockholm University.
He is recognised for his work on global sustainability, and helped lead the team of scientists that presented the planetary boundaries framework, first published in 2009.
The nine planetary boundaries are systems that regulate the Earth’s stability and resilience – the interactions of land, ocean, atmosphere and life that together give a ‘safe operating space for humanity’.
Four of the planetary boundaries have now been crossed as a result of human activity. Rockström advises several governments and business networks including the UN and the World Economic Forum.
Dick Quax is advocating selling a share of Watercare to the NZ Super Fund and ACC.
By selling an ownership stake in Watercare, the council would not lose any dividends. Watercare is currently prohibited by legislation from paying a dividend.
.
However, doing so would establish a dividend stream for itself and it’s stakeholders.
Which brings us to the pitfall. The increase in water charges required to produce this new revenue stream would effectively fall back on ratepayers, effectively making it little different than a rates increase, thus defeating the objective.
Water, dividend streams, the language is liquid, the thinking is languid, the zeitgeist is addiction to money; squeezing the public until all their money sources dry up.
Of course you can apply as much creativity to this problem as desired, there are simply no cleaver ways of arranging the accounts which don’t have this flaw. In order to increase the available finance either the public sector needs to run a deficit or the private sector needs to run a deficit, there is no other possible way to increase finance.
The problem for the Auckland council being its beholden to central government in many ways for any deficit spending it wants the public sector to undertake.
What Watercare is trying to explain with its accounting is that its not a profitable business undertaking. Auckland can have access to water at a reasonable price, or it can have a profit making water enterprise. Its impossible for it to have both.
Here is a discussion of Stuart Chase which explains how Auckland should look at the question, should Aucklanders have public access to water. http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=36218
Interesting take on NZF and Winston Peters by Chris Trotter.
Peters in particular, has always taken care to offset his ferocious rhetorical forays into such fraught areas as Maori-Pakeha relations and Asian immigration by offering the public his most mischievous of conspiratorial grins. As if to say: “What did you think of that? Impressive? Good. Just don’t take any of it too seriously!”
As the years have passed, however, New Zealand’s “populism with a smile” has become increasingly difficult to sustain. In relation to the rest of the world, the Alliance and NZ First were movements ahead of their time. Over the past two years, however, the global populist herds have overtaken us with a feral strength not encountered since the darkest years of the 1930s. And, while anger has always driven populism forward, today’s populists are super-charged with unreasoning hatred and rage. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/94077868/chris-trotter-can-winston-peters-populism-with-a-smile-survive-in-the-age-of-anger
U.N. human rights experts on Friday said the trial of a prominent Vietnamese blogger did not meet international standards and appeared to be aimed at intimidating environmental activists.
Can’t help feeling the vehement opposition to voter i.d. by the democrats is a bit of a free shot for the reblubiblubs. Though demanding individuals’ vting histories is sinister. I guess they mean whether someone voted rather than for whom but still..
Stanley Kubrick did indeed film the moon landings, but he was such a perfectionist that he insisted that all the hardware worked and he filmed them on location. 🙂
Because the majority of people didn’t trust him or his party national, because of all the lies he told on tv about his cover up in his old electorate, and they therefore voted for labour and the greens instead.
Marty, for such a switched on guy, given the current scandal around Labour that may blow sky high, you should hold off crystal gazing.
But seeing we are crystal gazing, I expect Andy to tender his resignation of the Labour Party on election night. Unless he is a masochist, of course.
One last prediction: if Andy doesn’t step down after losing the election, the bloodbath that follows will have the National Party moving from being a political party to a National institution.
Get to know the voters in the ‘real world,’ not the rhetorical world.
@ Blade, So are you supporting the the third Tory way – neoliberalism – handouts for corporations and money for the most greedy not matter what gender or race.
or the current fourth Tory way aka Trump style handouts for corporations and cronies, reduce democratic rights and have a war on race, money, religion and gender (kinda DUP + UK conservatives as well as Trump when you think about it).
P.S. What are your thoughts on Billy Boy’s chances of being rolled before the election – I’d say 30% chance of Billy being rolled – he’s not a good liar which does not help the Nats chances.
”Blade, So are you supporting the the third Tory way – neoliberalism – handouts for corporations and money for the most greedy not matter what gender or race. ”
No, but you are right about corporate welfare. Hence my previous comment:
“No, the Tories are old Labour. Handouts for everyone.”
Substitute State organisations for corporations.
Look, I will let you in on a secret- if you continue to talk of the greedy rich, Labour will have no chance of re-election. Real world voters aren’t interested in the greedy rich…they want to know what’s in it for them. They accept-unlike folk on this site- that some people will always be privileged. Fact of life.
That’s why they call Labour the party of envy. You guys can’t get past believing the world should always be fair.
Bill has no chance of being rolled unless he is caught importing cocaine. Voters like his steady hand. However, I believe Paula Bennett maybe the next leader off the rank, sooner rather than later.
Blade – I never mentioned the ‘greedy rich’ only the ‘greedy’.
I have zero problem with wealthy people , only with Greedy people.
Huge difference.
And I do agree with you about those banging on about greedy rich will not help Labour in the election because being wealthy is desirable by many including the poor and wealth means something different to everyone.
I certainly don’t envy people who work hard and are successful and become wealthy but I do despise those that are too greedy. I think good on corporations and individuals that create well paid jobs and treat their staff fairly and pay their taxes fairly.
Handouts for billionaires are greedy. Corporations not paying local taxes are greedy. Corporations and the individuals closing down factories and putting people out or work are greedy especially after sucking the company dry with personal renumeration payments.
The National party has become a party for the Greedy not the wealthy and that is why NZ First and Labour and Greens will win the next election if it is run in a fair way.
As for Bill, I think he’s Natz best bet but has the odds against him cleaning up Key’s dirty tricks, but relying on ex Benny Bennet who’s sucked off the state her whole life is not exactly a roaring CV for the National voter – so good luck there – having her succeed Bill!
Face it, the Nats have less talent in their MP’s than Labour.
That’s why they call Labour the party of envy. You guys can’t get past believing the world should always be fair.
Firstly, that’s not what “envy” means.
Secondly, why shouldn’t people want the world to be fair? Sure, we should all recognise the world is a brutally unfair place, because the benefit of recognising that is that it shows us where to improve it. But why should we be satisfied with a world that is unfair?
Why should we surrender our empathy and humanity in order to thrive in an unfair, unjust world? Because the strength of humanity is that we have the power to affect the shape of that world – so why not aspire to fairness?
You’ve put your finger on the difference between the politics of the left and your politics – and you’re the baddie in this movie, the agent of darkness, chaos, and the carrion-eaters.
”A feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck.” Ironically, its that latter that’s killing Labour.
”Secondly, why shouldn’t people want the world to be fair? ‘
They should want the world to be fair…or more fair. The trouble starts when they make no progress, and become bitter and twisted like many on this blog.
‘You’ve put your finger on the difference between the politics of the left and your politics – and you’re the baddie in this movie, the agent of darkness, chaos, and the carrion-eaters.”
Surely you are having some fun, and taking the piss. It’s hard to tell on this blog.
They should want the world to be fair…or more fair. The trouble starts when they make no progress, and become bitter and twisted like many on this blog.
Oh, so the problem isn’t that they think the world should be fair, it’s just that your side keep preventing this from happening.
‘You’ve put your finger on the difference between the politics of the left and your politics – and you’re the baddie in this movie, the agent of darkness, chaos, and the carrion-eaters.”
Surely you are having some fun, and taking the piss. It’s hard to tell on this blog.
Not really. If you’re not on the side that wants the world to be less unfair, that only leaves two unpalatable options that speak poorly of your character. Try breaking it down into some of the ways the world is unfair, and you might get it. Children dying, that sort of thing.
The accusation that the Trump White House used the National Enquirer to threaten and blackmail two journalists is a BFD.
In mid-April, Scarborough texted with Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner about the pending Enquirer story. Kushner told Scarborough that he would need to personally apologize to Trump in exchange for getting Enquirer owner David Pecker to stop the story. (A spokesperson for Kushner declined to comment). Scarborough says he refused, and the Enquirer published the story in print on June 5, headlined “Morning Joe Sleazy Cheating Scandal!”
Don’t forget Ed you need to put all your focus on third test next week, then we have plenty of time to get back to the end of the world, house prices, trump, the most fascist national government, the lies, the coming of the messiah Corbyn and the world accordingly to ED and RT😀
Glad you did. I started listening to the trade treaty thing and realised that I would just end up despairing at the unequivocal approach to our business enterprise future.
I did hear interesting bit about how we are making relationship with something Pacific and Mexico, Columbia, Chile and somewhere. It might be a good move.
Heh. The Chump appoints Kris Kobach (who’s been been crying about voter fraud despite all the evidence showing it’s a negligible problem) to his voter fraud commission. Kobach issues a letter to all states requesting all info on state voter rolls. Quickly swaps his Kansas Secretary of State hat back on and says back to his own commission fuck off you can’t have it.
The letter asks that the information be submitted to the email address “ElectionIntegrityStaff@ovp.eop.gov,” which does not use basic security protocols.
The email address is assigned to the EOP—the Executive Office of the President. Secure email tests confirm that EOP email addresses don’t use STARTTLS, a protocol for encrypting email while it travels across the internet so it is less likely to be snooped on while in transit.
I see Winston’s having a grand old time on Facebook, touring around Northland and highlighting each of the one-way bridges National had promised to double-lane.
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Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
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She said there was an “avalanche” coming of people nearing retirement with debt owing.
28 per cent of mortgages are now held by people aged 55 and over.
Aucklanders had the most mortgage debt – those 55 and over with a home loan have an average mortgage of $393,229.
Currently, 18 per cent of people aged over 55 struggled to make ends meet.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/93164858/older-new-zealanders-battling-bigger-mortgages
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/93946211
A lot of attention has been given to child poverty, but are we overlooking this coming “avalanche” ?
Interesting. Nothing in there though about what proportion of those mortgages are for primary residences. What’s the likelihood of over-55s also having ‘investment’ properties?
Just to background the earlier comments in 1 –
New data from credit score provider CreditSimple.co.nz shows New Zealanders over 55 are an increasingly large percentage of bankruptcies.
They now represent 27.8 per cent of all bankruptcies, up from 20.6 per cent in 2010.
CreditSimple spokeswoman Hazel Phillips said her organisation’s staff had reported from their conversations with older people that many said they were struggling to make ends meet.
“They now represent 27.8 per cent of all bankruptcies, up from 20.6 per cent in 2010.”
It’s a worry.
Sure is. Perhaps now the olders will start to take real notice of what is happening in NZ to the youngers, because if they don’t the powers that be will come for them and they will feel the same abandonment as the discarded precariat of the young.
“What’s the likelihood of over-55s also having ‘investment’ properties?”
Around 25% offhand. Nevertheless, the concern expressed largely isn’t about them.
A lot of people caught up in the ‘leaky building’ had to remortgage, many lost money in the financial scandals and most banks now are offering 30 year mortgages, so people will have to pay well into retirement a mortgage, in many cases. Not only that, as employee’s head into their 50’s they are made redundant – there is seems zero government controls in place for any sort of stability – most people’s lives now are dependant on market forces and can be bankrupted by unsafe cladding, financial mismanagement, losing their job for no reason and having to be in debt for longer in our low wage economy making it difficult to pay off debt quickly.
“A lot of people caught up in the ‘leaky building’ had to remortgage…”
From timber through to plumbing, with the horror stories still coming out of the building sector, a good number more will be impacted.
Incompetent people in Government and Councils changing the Building Codes and abandoning the Apprenticeship Schemes and guess who the neoliberal National Government ?
Govt changes building standards, not councils.
This is the way I see it too. I wouldn’t mind so much if the people with far more money than they need were not so obvious. I don’t envy them, just feel like they are a different sort of human being, like I have to behave differently around them. I feel uneasy in a way I never did growing up here. People seem separated in some way. Hard to put a finger on it. When I was younger in NZ I always felt we were in it together. Not so much these days. It’s a lonely country. Lonely and anxious.
All very well to use averages
” 55 and over with a home loan have an average mortgage of $393,229.”
But what is the median. There are plenty of rich older people in Auckland too For those working , the last 10 years are normally the peak income years.
In general terms they will be more people retiring with a mortgage than there used to be- when the goal was to reach early 60s mortgage free.
The median or average is largely irrelevant in this instance as it’s the growing amount struggling under the pressure and going bankrupt that is the concern.
Auckland has 240 residents worth at least $30 million each. So not a large percentage of the population is of high wealth.
child poverty is the result of parent poverty. It’s just that those crunchy do nothing dudes and dudettes that hope that the market will fix it might – might care about children. But then, as the last few years showed there are few in NZ that give a dime about poverty in general.
More interesting to me would by why do these people own on their mortgage? I know quite a few people that have increased their mortgage to buy stuff that has got nothing to do with the house/mortgage itself, some of them in the over 55 range – as a friend of mine put it while buying a third motor bike ‘ i won’t be getting any more loans as i am getting too old’. Mind this friend is also in a position to keep on working until he drops dead.
“More interesting to me would by why do these people own on their mortgage?”
As pointed out by savenz. A number have fallen victim to finance company collapses, had to refinance to repair their poorly built home, or have been made redundant. Some have gone through expensive separations, others have fallen victim to bad health or bad luck. And some would have been as a result of poor fiscal management.
A number have businesses secured against property, which may have not performed too well.
Yes, but we don’t have a break down.
I also know some that have bought several houses in Akl over the last few years – as i was told they want to have a ‘livestyle’ when they are eighty – and these houses will bring them easily to about 2.5 million in mortgage debt. Will they have been able to pay these of by the time they retire? Nope, not a chance in hell. However they can sell one – hopefully make enough cash on that to pay a mortgage or two.
so we really need a break down to see what the numbers are.
And i consider anyone who has mortgage debt due to ‘frivoulous’ spending – like my mate with the bikes – or needing several million dollar properties to fund their future lifestyle in that category.
then you have those that might have gone back into debt due to illness.
then you have those that might sold a property due to divorce and then bought again a property on their own.
all these are quite different reasons for being in debt by the age of 55 and over.
One reason i have not re-started my business is that the bank wants to use my property as a security. The whole loan is literally predatory. So here we go, i don’t work, staff that i would have employed is not working, and i don’t have debt. But the banks are not helpful.
But essentially we are all guessing as to why people are in debt and by how much and so on.
We really need better stats in this country.
Part of the damage from our economy’s fixation with property has been the narrowness of our financial sector’s ability to manage risk – so the best they can offer is to tie a small business’s potential liability to something they can grasp – a house. Stifles NZ hugely.
It’s been an interesting week for our campaign. I have had dozens of library and ex-library staff communicating privately and confidentially with me. About a week ago I was sent screen shots of a dozen internal emails from library managers seeking relief cover for a total of 71 shifts of 6 or more hours in July. We were also aware that management’s self-imposed deadline of having all staff in new roles by July 1 wasn’t going to be met, that departing employees had been asked to stay on longer, and, unbelievably, some branches were so understaffed Madison Recruitment was supplying temps.
Apparently the libraries’ computer system is so complicated that temps will struggle to perform even tasks we’d think are straightforward, like shelving.
Love Our Libraries raised the alarm on Monday by emailing every Local Board in Auckland.
By the end of the day, management responded to attempt to refute our claims.
We wrote to the boards again the next day and provided more information.
We did get management to admit temps were being used: just 20 over July-August (less than 2% of the workforce–not quite if there are ca. 700 staff left).
The possibility of “rolling closures” hit the media thanks to a piece by James Pasley on stuff.co.nz which has also run in different local suburban newsletters.
I’m told library managers have cautioned staff ( not for the first time) not to speak to the public, media, or members of Love Our Libraries, especially about staff shortages.
The emails seeking relief staff have been removed and temps will be used.
Meanwhile I was sent a cautionary letter by Dean Kimpton, Auckland COO. He was objecting to what he termed “personal attacks” I’ve made in the Libraries General Manager. While I admit on a few occasions I’ve indulged in a catty crack, it is very hard not to absorb and reflect the utter disdain her underlings have for her and I will continue to raise doubts about her professionalism and ability to carry out the Fit for the Future reforms. It’s ironic for Kimpton to ask for respect for her when our city’s librarians have had to cope with a year of uncertainty, secrecy, and paranoia. How is forcing so many workers to reapply for jobs they’ve done competently for years, so you can save a few bucks by compressing and rotating their schedules, not a form of disrespect?
Our Facebook group is public. Please visit and join. We will continue to document and call attention to the travesty that is Fit for the Future. http://www.facebook.com/groups/loveourlibraries
Further to the library brick. Go here for more details:
Save Our Super City Librarians | ActionStation
https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/save-our-super-city-librarians
Love Our Libraries is a grassroots citizens campaign that arose out of a specific … https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/94088316/auckland-libraries-rejects-claims- …
Keep Public Libraries Free | LIANZA
https://lianza.org.nz/our-work/campaigns/keep-public-libraries-free
Did you know that there is no legislation in Aotearoa New Zealand to prevent … In 2011 and 2012, LIANZA ran a Keep Public Libraries Free campaign in support …
Sounds like intimidation from management ?
This morning on Kim Hill interesting on present and future speaker. Audio later.
8:09 Johan Rockström – Planetary boundaries
The Hillary Institute recently announced Sweden’s Johan Rockström as the global Hillary Laureate for 2017. The Institute, inspired by Sir Edmund Hillary, aims to support leaders working in the areas of climate change, poverty, disease, peace, and justice. Johan Rockström is the director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and a professor of environmental science at Stockholm University.
He is recognised for his work on global sustainability, and helped lead the team of scientists that presented the planetary boundaries framework, first published in 2009.
The nine planetary boundaries are systems that regulate the Earth’s stability and resilience – the interactions of land, ocean, atmosphere and life that together give a ‘safe operating space for humanity’.
Four of the planetary boundaries have now been crossed as a result of human activity. Rockström advises several governments and business networks including the UN and the World Economic Forum.
Audio from Kim Hill Radionz this a.m.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/201849560/johan-rockstrom-planetary-boundaries
Dick Quax is advocating selling a share of Watercare to the NZ Super Fund and ACC.
By selling an ownership stake in Watercare, the council would not lose any dividends. Watercare is currently prohibited by legislation from paying a dividend.
.
However, doing so would establish a dividend stream for itself and it’s stakeholders.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11883102
Which brings us to the pitfall. The increase in water charges required to produce this new revenue stream would effectively fall back on ratepayers, effectively making it little different than a rates increase, thus defeating the objective.
Water, dividend streams, the language is liquid, the thinking is languid, the zeitgeist is addiction to money; squeezing the public until all their money sources dry up.
Hardly creative juices flowing. Just another way to drown us in bills.
Unlike a business, rate payers are FORCED to pay. So council’s are not really a business more a monopoly that is becoming less and less democratic.
Just another method of skinning the cat.
Of course you can apply as much creativity to this problem as desired, there are simply no cleaver ways of arranging the accounts which don’t have this flaw. In order to increase the available finance either the public sector needs to run a deficit or the private sector needs to run a deficit, there is no other possible way to increase finance.
The problem for the Auckland council being its beholden to central government in many ways for any deficit spending it wants the public sector to undertake.
What Watercare is trying to explain with its accounting is that its not a profitable business undertaking. Auckland can have access to water at a reasonable price, or it can have a profit making water enterprise. Its impossible for it to have both.
Here is a discussion of Stuart Chase which explains how Auckland should look at the question, should Aucklanders have public access to water.
http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=36218
Interesting take on NZF and Winston Peters by Chris Trotter.
Peters in particular, has always taken care to offset his ferocious rhetorical forays into such fraught areas as Maori-Pakeha relations and Asian immigration by offering the public his most mischievous of conspiratorial grins. As if to say: “What did you think of that? Impressive? Good. Just don’t take any of it too seriously!”
As the years have passed, however, New Zealand’s “populism with a smile” has become increasingly difficult to sustain. In relation to the rest of the world, the Alliance and NZ First were movements ahead of their time. Over the past two years, however, the global populist herds have overtaken us with a feral strength not encountered since the darkest years of the 1930s. And, while anger has always driven populism forward, today’s populists are super-charged with unreasoning hatred and rage.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/94077868/chris-trotter-can-winston-peters-populism-with-a-smile-survive-in-the-age-of-anger
Not a good week for human rights…
Trump’s next attack on democracy: mass voter suppression
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/30/trumps-attack-democracy-mass-voter-suppression
‘We wanted democracy’: is Hong Kong’s two-systems experiment over?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/30/we-wanted-democracy-after-20-years-of-chinese-rule-is-hong-kongs-dream-over
U.N. human rights experts on Friday said the trial of a prominent Vietnamese blogger did not meet international standards and appeared to be aimed at intimidating environmental activists.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/nation-world/article158993494.html
Can’t help feeling the vehement opposition to voter i.d. by the democrats is a bit of a free shot for the reblubiblubs. Though demanding individuals’ vting histories is sinister. I guess they mean whether someone voted rather than for whom but still..
Jonah from Tonga – blackface shit
Maori tv – bullshit rationale, ratings chaser. Letting Pacific and Māori people down. Disgrace and sad.
Link ?
lmgtfy
I am very glad that I’ve never seen it…
Looks like it has been pulled.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/top/334215/maori-tv-expected-to-pull-jonah-from-tonga-from-screens
The Hui will be covering it tomorrow morning.
Jones is right ACT is the human form of the fungal pathogen myrtle rust.
Pizzagate? That’s nothing! NASA has child slave camps on Mars!
At least according to Alex Jones, so beloved of some pro-Trump commenters here.
http://www.iflscience.com/space/nasa-conspiracy-theorists-no-child-slaves-mars/
must be real news then.
Damn shame Stanley’s no longer with us.
/
http://www.thedailybeast.com/nasa-denies-that-its-running-a-child-slave-colony-on-mars
edit: @ rhino
Mr Steele himself has had a few mention on TS
Ha Alex Jones needs real help imo. Anyone who is into him or icky or any of these extremistists shows their deficiency. Sad. Funny. Sad. Nah, funny.
I’m not sure they are extremists so much as on another planet. Not Mars apparently though.
Lol very good ☺
Stanley Kubrick did indeed film the moon landings, but he was such a perfectionist that he insisted that all the hardware worked and he filmed them on location. 🙂
Oh, Dear.
Is this stance an offshoot of critical thought by Young Nats regarding
MMCC?
Or would many of these younins qualify for the 20% of university students needing remedial studies before they can pursue their chosen course?
People say the Left are powerless. Well, control education, and you control the coming generations.
As the Jesuits said: ‘ Give me the child, and I will show you the man.’
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
I assume that is what happened to you, Blade.
No, I didn’t go to university. A waste getting UE back in the day.
What a worthless post. It’s obvious you are still in need of remedial work.
I was referring to your Jesuitic attitude, you silly man.
It was a toss-up. I lost. You imprecise scribbler.
As the Stunned mullet said: ‘ Show me a comment from blade, and I will drop a flatus in response.’
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Classic – found some anti jokes the other day
‘A horse walked into a bar. Several people got up and left as they spotted the potential danger of the situation.’
Put this up to remind us to keep thinking outside the square – got an election to win and anti jokes could help.
What about this one.
‘What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question?’
😆 Very good.
Clever
🙂
An answer that is blowing in the wind?
Yes, Marty, Labour needs to punch above their weight by dropping Andy.
Why did Bill English lose the election?
Because the majority of people didn’t trust him or his party national, because of all the lies he told on tv about his cover up in his old electorate, and they therefore voted for labour and the greens instead.
Marty, for such a switched on guy, given the current scandal around Labour that may blow sky high, you should hold off crystal gazing.
But seeing we are crystal gazing, I expect Andy to tender his resignation of the Labour Party on election night. Unless he is a masochist, of course.
One last prediction: if Andy doesn’t step down after losing the election, the bloodbath that follows will have the National Party moving from being a political party to a National institution.
Get to know the voters in the ‘real world,’ not the rhetorical world.
Yep I’m switched on and you should listen to what I’m saying.
I was commenting literally.
Me too
You’re a Tory, right?
No, the Tories are old Labour. Handouts for everyone.
@ Blade, So are you supporting the the third Tory way – neoliberalism – handouts for corporations and money for the most greedy not matter what gender or race.
or the current fourth Tory way aka Trump style handouts for corporations and cronies, reduce democratic rights and have a war on race, money, religion and gender (kinda DUP + UK conservatives as well as Trump when you think about it).
P.S. What are your thoughts on Billy Boy’s chances of being rolled before the election – I’d say 30% chance of Billy being rolled – he’s not a good liar which does not help the Nats chances.
Billy’s much more likely to be rolled than Andy.
”Blade, So are you supporting the the third Tory way – neoliberalism – handouts for corporations and money for the most greedy not matter what gender or race. ”
No, but you are right about corporate welfare. Hence my previous comment:
“No, the Tories are old Labour. Handouts for everyone.”
Substitute State organisations for corporations.
Look, I will let you in on a secret- if you continue to talk of the greedy rich, Labour will have no chance of re-election. Real world voters aren’t interested in the greedy rich…they want to know what’s in it for them. They accept-unlike folk on this site- that some people will always be privileged. Fact of life.
That’s why they call Labour the party of envy. You guys can’t get past believing the world should always be fair.
Bill has no chance of being rolled unless he is caught importing cocaine. Voters like his steady hand. However, I believe Paula Bennett maybe the next leader off the rank, sooner rather than later.
Blade – I never mentioned the ‘greedy rich’ only the ‘greedy’.
I have zero problem with wealthy people , only with Greedy people.
Huge difference.
And I do agree with you about those banging on about greedy rich will not help Labour in the election because being wealthy is desirable by many including the poor and wealth means something different to everyone.
I certainly don’t envy people who work hard and are successful and become wealthy but I do despise those that are too greedy. I think good on corporations and individuals that create well paid jobs and treat their staff fairly and pay their taxes fairly.
Handouts for billionaires are greedy. Corporations not paying local taxes are greedy. Corporations and the individuals closing down factories and putting people out or work are greedy especially after sucking the company dry with personal renumeration payments.
The National party has become a party for the Greedy not the wealthy and that is why NZ First and Labour and Greens will win the next election if it is run in a fair way.
As for Bill, I think he’s Natz best bet but has the odds against him cleaning up Key’s dirty tricks, but relying on ex Benny Bennet who’s sucked off the state her whole life is not exactly a roaring CV for the National voter – so good luck there – having her succeed Bill!
Face it, the Nats have less talent in their MP’s than Labour.
I think Paula has a lot more credibility than Bill especially after the Ranfurly Rabbit Saga in Clutha-Southland ?
Sorry bro, I skimmed your name and though it was Tamati Tutae. My apologies…by the way, what the hell are you on about?
Firstly, that’s not what “envy” means.
Secondly, why shouldn’t people want the world to be fair? Sure, we should all recognise the world is a brutally unfair place, because the benefit of recognising that is that it shows us where to improve it. But why should we be satisfied with a world that is unfair?
Why should we surrender our empathy and humanity in order to thrive in an unfair, unjust world? Because the strength of humanity is that we have the power to affect the shape of that world – so why not aspire to fairness?
You’ve put your finger on the difference between the politics of the left and your politics – and you’re the baddie in this movie, the agent of darkness, chaos, and the carrion-eaters.
But why should we be satisfied with a world that is unfair?
Well, in Blade’s case it comes down to whether the unfairness works in your favour or not.
‘Firstly, that’s not what “envy” means.’
Ok, so what does it mean? Oh, it means this.
”A feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck.” Ironically, its that latter that’s killing Labour.
”Secondly, why shouldn’t people want the world to be fair? ‘
They should want the world to be fair…or more fair. The trouble starts when they make no progress, and become bitter and twisted like many on this blog.
‘You’ve put your finger on the difference between the politics of the left and your politics – and you’re the baddie in this movie, the agent of darkness, chaos, and the carrion-eaters.”
Surely you are having some fun, and taking the piss. It’s hard to tell on this blog.
Oh, so the problem isn’t that they think the world should be fair, it’s just that your side keep preventing this from happening.
Not really. If you’re not on the side that wants the world to be less unfair, that only leaves two unpalatable options that speak poorly of your character. Try breaking it down into some of the ways the world is unfair, and you might get it. Children dying, that sort of thing.
Sorry, are you denying that there are kiwi’s without a roof over their heads?
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
To Crunchy at 1.2.1: You know exactly what I mean.
heh
Surely you are not denying the bit about the campaign workers being a Labour scheme?
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Can you stop trolling please?
It’s Crunchy short for Crunchy the Clown. Don’t even reply – you know that clowns have a tumbling routine that people fall for.
Taranaki engineering export diversification restaurants.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/asia/94214864/its-the-worlds-biggest-underwater-restaurant–and-it-was-made-in-new-zealand
Stuff we should be focusing on.
1. Climate change.
Temperatures in Iranian city of Ahvaz hit 129.2F (54C), near hottest on Earth in modern measurements.
http://www.independent.co.uk/Weather/iran-ahvaz-hottest-temperature-ever-recorded-world-record-extreme-death-valley-california-a7815771.html
Stuff we should not be focusing on.
1. ‘Celebrity and media’ trivia
TV hosts strike back at US President Donald Trump’s ‘face-lift’ tweets
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/94287231
The accusation that the Trump White House used the National Enquirer to threaten and blackmail two journalists is a BFD.
In mid-April, Scarborough texted with Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner about the pending Enquirer story. Kushner told Scarborough that he would need to personally apologize to Trump in exchange for getting Enquirer owner David Pecker to stop the story. (A spokesperson for Kushner declined to comment). Scarborough says he refused, and the Enquirer published the story in print on June 5, headlined “Morning Joe Sleazy Cheating Scandal!”
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/06/what-happened-between-trump-morning-joe-and-the-enquirer.html
The argument that those White House messages may have been prosecutable extortion.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/06/trump-and-his-aides-might-have-broken-the-law-with-morning-joe-threats/
Don’t forget Ed you need to put all your focus on third test next week, then we have plenty of time to get back to the end of the world, house prices, trump, the most fascist national government, the lies, the coming of the messiah Corbyn and the world accordingly to ED and RT😀
So droll
Alert tomorrow morning Wallace Chapman Radionz – good stuff
on Insight and Max Rushbrooke.
8:09 Insight: trade deals and balancing power
8:40 Max Rashbrooke: towards a truly open government
Thanks for that, tuned in now and learning/listening 😀
Glad you did. I started listening to the trade treaty thing and realised that I would just end up despairing at the unequivocal approach to our business enterprise future.
I did hear interesting bit about how we are making relationship with something Pacific and Mexico, Columbia, Chile and somewhere. It might be a good move.
Heh. The Chump appoints Kris Kobach (who’s been been crying about voter fraud despite all the evidence showing it’s a negligible problem) to his voter fraud commission. Kobach issues a letter to all states requesting all info on state voter rolls. Quickly swaps his Kansas Secretary of State hat back on and says back to his own commission fuck off you can’t have it.
http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article159113369.html
Idiots.
Insecure, too.
The letter asks that the information be submitted to the email address “ElectionIntegrityStaff@ovp.eop.gov,” which does not use basic security protocols.
The email address is assigned to the EOP—the Executive Office of the President. Secure email tests confirm that EOP email addresses don’t use STARTTLS, a protocol for encrypting email while it travels across the internet so it is less likely to be snooped on while in transit.
http://gizmodo.com/trumps-election-fraud-commission-asked-states-to-send-s-1796535568?IR=T
I see Winston’s having a grand old time on Facebook, touring around Northland and highlighting each of the one-way bridges National had promised to double-lane.
Heh. How many have they actually done?
Highlighting Bridges promises to the Northland Electorate – Indian Giver ?
Some great TV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd_gkNiXVi0&ab_channel=1989NickiD
All Blacks lose. What will be Bling’s social media respose?
Maybe he’ll sing that nice ‘Sorry’ song by Tracy Chapman. I can almost hear it now…
If the ref had kept his mouth shut, Sonny Bill would have been able to see the game out.
Blinky Bill meets Sonny Blill and they all laugh because they have more likes than Andy.